


The E.T Atari Scam

by honeyc0rpse



Category: Lemon Demon (Musician), Touch-Tone Telephone - Lemon Demon (Song)
Genre: Fluff, M/M, human/ arcade cabinet ?????? what lol, im going bonkers, kissy kissy smoochy smoochy, one short
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-21
Updated: 2020-10-21
Packaged: 2021-03-08 21:07:20
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 955
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27132925
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/honeyc0rpse/pseuds/honeyc0rpse
Summary: You never know what quite happens during the arcade's closing hours.
Relationships: Touch Tone Telephone/Cabinet Man
Comments: 12
Kudos: 49





	The E.T Atari Scam

Shuffling his way through the arcade, with only a thin sock layer protecting his feet from the gunk and germs of the carpet, he did his best to navigate the dark and empty building. He halted and spun his flashlight in a clockwise motion, using its dimming light to and nothing else to guide him. The only thing that could be considered audible was his deep heaving, shaking with every breath he took. 

He heard a faint string of beeps, long and short; Morse Code that said, “Over here!” Finally locating the origin of the sound, he shuffled over to his final destination—an arcade cabinet, seemingly normal to the naked eye. The man sat down with a long-winded sigh, placing the flashlight between them for a more haunted effect. 

“So, Cabby. I can call you Cabby, right? Well, erm, the other day,” he unbuttoned his oversized wool coat and pulled out a shoddy cartridge, “Check it out! Man, I thought I’d never get my hands on one of these.” He gave an awkward chuckle and set it close to the cabinet. The screen lit up, flashing a pair of illuminating eyes that focused on the cartridge with intrigue. “I mean,  _ yeah, there is a literal landfill of them _ , but this is different! Look at this thing! It’s just…wow. I’ve tried playing with it for an hour or so, but I guess I’m not that good with games.” He peered up to the screen: “Okay, okay, you’re the exception,” he giggled, sounding more akin to a hyena dying of dehydration. The cabinet reciprocated the laugh with a monotone and synthesized sneer coming from the coin slot. “So, back on topic. This game, right? I messed around with a few cheats codes and found these coordinates. From there—”

For seemingly the next half hour, the theorist rambling on and on about his discovery—coupled with short fits of agitation and exaggerated hand movements. “See! It all makes sense! I’ve got it! Well, I’m sure I do. I haven’t been able to travel down south nor do I think I have all the equipment required…but…damn,” he let out a sigh of dismay, lowering his eyelids and peering at the shabby carpet. He began picking at it in small, quick strokes. “I—just—I’m sorry for ranting. I know you’re surrounded by snot-nosed brats all day, and so having this weird schmuck coming over to yell at you some more isn’t all that nice—” The cabinet beeped:

“No, no! Go on! I’m enjoying this.” the screen flowed from a pair of eyes to a more animated, human-like face, paired with a nose, mouth, and a facial structure that wasn’t the screen’s rectangular border. The pixels from his mouth bounced up and down, insinuating a smile. 

“Are you really? I just talked about a dumb little game for almost an hour,” he paused and tilted his head upward, “Thanks, man.” He huffed with relief and slowed the fidgeting. “No one would really listen to me. They’re all too dumb to know that I’m the right one. As soon as I open my mouth I can see their brains turn off and not take in anything I say. But you’re not like them! We’re two birds of a feather—great minds think alike! I know that I—no, we can get to the bottom of this!” The cabinet beeped in a higher tone as the screen lit up brighter. The avatar on the screen remained cheerful as the inside of the cabinet seemingly coughed. After a minute of nothing but silence, the cabinet responded in an uncanny voice: almost human-like, but very mechanical: 

“Really? The two of us?! Me and you?!” The screen blew up in little hearts and the arcade machine vibrated softly, letting out an echo of little beeps.

The theorist, taken aback, covered his mouth to keep himself from snorting with laughter. “God, you don’t have to go that far to show me you’re blushing.” His about-to-be laughter died down. He placed the cartridge back in his jacket, powered off the flashlight, and looked at his watch. “Man, it’s getting late. The arcade’s not open until late afternoon tomorrow, right?” He got up and looked around before stepping closer to the machine. 

“Right!” the cabinet beeped back in Morse Code—speaking was only for special occasions. The man placed his hand upon its marquee. 

“I hope they won’t mind if I stay here awhile. I’m hoping you don’t mind.” They met “eye-to-eye” (the theorist and the digital avatar making eye contact with each other) until the avatar manifested a pixel hand and pointed to his cheek. “Hm? A kiss?” The machine beeped loudly and the screen filled with hearts once again. “Aw, You show-off.” The theorist swept his hand from the marquee and placed it on the joystick, before quickly leaning in and giving the screen a small kiss on the top—nothing too fancy. The arcade cabinet rustled again and beeped another four or five times, before unplugging a few of its cords almost magically and wrapping around the coat sleeve in a playful manner. “Oh, come on! It was just a kiss!” the theorist giggled. His face was seething in a deep red and his hands wouldn’t stop shaking. “Okay, okay. Maybe it was more than just a kiss.” He slid down and fixed himself to sit near the coin slot. Several other wires unplugged themselves and surrounded him in a light barricade. “I doubt anyone’s going to break in at this time. Cabby—let’s just lay back for the night. You and me.” Eyelids drooping, the theorist dug his head into his coat and fell asleep, deeply safe between the cords.

**Author's Note:**

> i'm sorry this took like . two hours to write maybe less lol


End file.
